No Film
by harrylee94
Summary: What if Johnny hadn't taken the jacket that fateful day? What if Penelope hadn't run away? How would it have changed the history between them? Would it have been better or worse? My first romance, so be warned! Unknown rating as of yet.
1. No Lemons

Johnny was getting closer to the bottle green Bedford van, the back windows covered by the red fabric that passed for curtains. It had become a kind of routine now; gambling at the table, turn up in the morning, get the jacket and talk to Penelope.

Penelope…

He couldn't see how this Edward guy could hate her so much. She was so smart and easy to talk to. A little shy maybe, but who was counting that? And yet here he was shouting to the world like she was some kind of monster!

He was next to the back doors of the van and raised his fist to knock but stopped when he realised that Edward and the reporter, Lemon, were talking.

"…on purpose." The blue blood's voice drifted through the thin plastic that sat between them. He had the intense feeling they were talking about him. "He's going for the dowry."

Lemon sighed. "Wish I could find a girl with a dowry."

Was that all they thought of him? Some kind of looser who couldn't see past their next payday? The anger inside him began to build, but he held it in check, moving to stand by the side of the van, keeping himself out of view.

"Think about it Lemon," Edward continued, "Max is only here for the money, so it makes sense that he'd go for the dowry! It's ten times the amount we're offering!"

Johnny gritted his teeth. If they wanted to look at him that way, then fine, he'll make them believe in their little fantasy. Being careful not to alert them to his presence, he made his way towards the mansion, doffing his hat and brushing his hair with his fingers. He wanted to look at least slightly presentable when he saw her. Or at least when she saw him.

Pulling his scarf from around his neck, he straightened his jacket and knocked on the door. Moments later, the woman he'd come to know as Wanda opened it, a huge smile on her face.

"Max! How lovely to see you again!" she said, opening the door further. "Please come in."

Stepping over the threshold of the Wilhern household, smiling at the overly enthusiastic lady beside him. He held up his things. "Shall I… take these?"

"Oh no!" she took them from his hands and walked towards the stair, "I'll hang them up for you." She stopped next to the banister. "You know the way don't you?" When he nodded her smile, against all odds, grew wider, and she went off down the hallway.

As he began to climb the stairs, Johnny could feel the tension building inside him, like it always did. Whenever he was in that room, she… they thought he was someone else, a blue blood, and yet here he was, the son of a plumber and a bust gambler. Every time he left that room, amongst the feelings of happiness and peace was the feeling of guilt; guilt for pretending to be a man he could never be; guilt for betraying her trust every time he wore that jacket.

He had to tell her.

Johnny stepped through the door.

"_Okay I've got it._" Penelope said over the microphone, leaving him no chance to say anything. "_Piano, You play the piano,_" he walked over to the mirror and looked briefly over his shoulder at the piano that sat in the corner of the room, "_I bet my life on it._"

"Alright, keep in mind," he said, forming a plan in his mind, "never bet a better." He cringed inwardly at himself. That was subtle! You think she missed that idiot? He nodded and walked over to the instrument, admiring the woodwork. As he lifted the cover off of the keys he looked back briefly and sat down, stretching his fingers out as he always did before playing. Of course she didn't know that, so he thought he'd have a bit of fun. "And a one, and a two, and a one – 'You are my…'" he played some chords, "'su-unshine, my only…'" he moved his hands to play another, "sunshine, you make me…" he played some purposely wrong chords, "'happy when skys are…'" he played some more incorrect chords, "'grey'… no."

"_No, it's B flat._" She said informatively as he continued.

He laughed. So she _did_ know how to play. "'You are my… sunshine…'"

"_B flat on the right hand_."

"'my only… sunshine.'" He flourished the notes on his left hand as though he were trying to do what she wanted.

"_No, right hand._"

He sucked in a breath through his teeth. "'You are my…'" he changed his chord to a minor, "'sunshine, my only…'" he played another, though higher this time, "'sunshine, you make me…'"

A hand came to overlap his own, and he heard a familiar voice in his ear. "You see, your left hand stays…" he stopped playing and let her move his hands, "and the right hand plays the chords."

Johnny smiled. "'My…'" he played the notes she told him to, "'sunshine'."

"See?" Penelope said.

"Yeah, it's better…" he turned to face her.

His back hit the glass doors to the cabinet behind him as he jumped back in shock.

Penelope, the girl he had been talking to for the past month, was standing there, right in front of him… with a snout instead of a nose. It didn't seem real. All he could do was stare. Was this really her?

He watched as she tried to say something, but she just fell into silence, looking down at the floor before her eyes returned to him. They were beautiful eyes, so full of hope and dreams, ready to believe in anything. He began to edge towards her, bringing his hand up to her face, to her nose. As he touched it, he felt the side of his mouth twitch upwards slightly.

"How…?" he couldn't say any more, and he let his hand move past her snout and onto her cheek where a tear had fallen down, his fingers wiping it away. His hand continued to move until it ended up resting on her shoulder.

"You… you didn't run away." She said, her scared face slowly turning into a smile.

"Run away?" he frowned at her, "Why would I run away?" she began to sob. "No, don't… come here." He pulled her into a warm embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. "Why would I run away Penelope?"

"I look like… I'm ugly! I look like a pig!" she cried, her voice slightly muffled from speaking into his jacket.

"What?" Johnny pulled her away and looked straight into her tearful eyes; those beautiful weepy brown eyes. "You are not ugly Penelope. You're beautiful." He brushed her hair behind her ears, ignoring the fact that they were also very pig-like, "You're beautiful and smart and amazing at interrogating people…" she laughed slightly at that, which made him grin, "And you're the most brilliant woman I've ever met."

She stared at him, her hand coming up to her nose. "But, my nose…" her hand moved to the side of her head, "my ears…"

"…are what make you you." Johnny smiled at her. "And to be honest, I think they're kind of cute."

She smiled at him and blushed, returning to her previous position in his arms. It felt like the most comfortable and natural thing in the world to him. "Thank you." She said, and kissed him on the cheek.

* * *

><p>"Oh my God!" Jessica exclaimed, dropping her bowl of popcorn as she stood, unable to believe what had just transpired on the screen in front of her.<p>

Franklin nodded, smiling at the television.

"He didn't run." Wanda said, staring at the air in front of her face. "He actually didn't run."

"It's a miracle!"

"More than a miracle!"

Mr Wilhern stood, putting his box of ice cream back on the kitchen table, leaving the two women to ramble on about how this was all thanks to them. Slowly, he made his way upstairs and knocked on the 'meeting' room's door.

"Come in."

Accepting his daughter's invitation, he opened the door and stepped inside. When he saw that Penelope was still in the young man's arms he smiled, and his smile grew even wider at the sight of his expression. It was the look of a man completely at ease, a man who was comfortable exactly where he was.

"I see you've met my daughter." He said, causing her to turn around in Max's arms.

"Dad!"

"Mr Wilhern!"

His smile brightened as they unwrapped themselves from each other's arms in embarrassment, their cheeks flushing bright red. It reminded him of the time Jessica's father had caught them kissing in the kitchen in her mansion.

Slowly, he made his way towards them until he was barely a foot away from the young man. He watched him squirm under his gaze and he remembered how he had squirmed. He held sympathies for this man, so he wouldn't prolong it any further. "You believe she's beautiful?"

Max blinked. "Y… yes sir." He looked over his shoulder to where Penelope was sure to be stood. "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever met."

Franklin nodded. "And you'll return tomorrow?"

"Yes sir." He replied, not pausing for a second, his eyes not moving from over the older man's shoulder. He really meant what he said, didn't he.

"Then I expect you back here at ten o'clock sharp and not a minute late." He began to walk out of the room. "My daughter does not like to be kept waiting."

**AN - Okay, so I'm a gonner for soppy love stories. So sue me!**

**I watch Penelope last night and I knew I had to write something about it, and as soon as this scene came up, I couldn't think of anything else to do.**

**I have no idea when I'll upload the next chapter, so don't be expecting it too soon (I've got a lot of work to do at the moment).**

**Hope you guys liked it!**


	2. Returning

Somehow, Johnny had gotten past the two men spying in the van the previous day, and by the time he returned, it, and they, were gone. The only thing that remained was a small strip of blank film stuck in the gutter.

It was five to ten, and the gambler had spent a long time the night before at home, leaving his seat at the table cold and empty, much to the real Max Campion's disappointment. That fact, that he wasn't a blue blood, however significant or not, was nagging at the back of his mind. How could he, the son of a plumber, be anything like them?

He yawned.

There hadn't been much sleep for him that night, with thoughts of how he was going to break it to them… to her. Why did he have to listen to Lemon? Why couldn't he have just walked away? And then he remembered. Ah yes, the money; the root of all evil.

He frowned. If it really was the root of all evil, then what was he doing here standing at the door of the one person he… loved? Was that what it was?

He knocked the door.

It was a moment before anyone answered, but when the door opened, he recognised the face of Jake, the Wilhern manservant. "Good morning."

Johnny smiled. "Morning." He stepped into the hallway and looked up the staircase, where Penelope was waiting.

"You came!" she exclaimed as she ran down the stairs, her face bright and happy as she jumped into his arms. "I thought you'd never come back!"

"What? And leave this beautiful woman here to rot?" He kissed her on the forehead, "I don't think so."

They stood there for a moment, content with just holding each other, but soon Jessica arrived.

For some reason Johnny would probably never understand, mothers always wanted to make themselves known, no matter what the situation. It appeared that Mrs Wilhern was much, _much_ worse than he'd ever anticipated.

"Ah! You must be Max!" she exclaimed, coming over with her hands raised in the air, letting them fall the closer she got. For some reason, Penelope decided that it would be a good idea if she stayed firmly attached to him, as if she felt afraid that she would scare him away. It wasn't like she had the nose of a pig or anything… "It's so nice to meet you! I'm Penelope's mother." She held out her hand, though her eyes told Johnny that she'd planned on doing something else.

"Uh, pleasure to meet you Mrs Wilhern." He said, taking her hand in his free one, though it was a little difficult considering there was a weight trying to hold him down.

"Oh, call me Jessica. Everyone does." She replied, smiling in one of those 'aren't I great' ways. "Now, I have a few ground rules. Penelope's not allowed outside these premises, you are…"

"Mum!" Penelope cried, turning around.

"What?" she asked, "A mother's allowed to be protective of her child isn't she?" Her smile saddened slightly. "Oh! I can't believe you came back!" and before he could say 'help', Penelope's mother was hugging him.

Luckily, just at that moment, Mr Wilhern entered the already crowded corridor and proceeded to pry his wife off of him, to his great relief. She then clung to him like a sloth would a tree, crying into his shoulder. Franklin tried to comfort her as he signalled with his eyes for them to go, _quietly_, up the stairs, which they obliged.

Once they had finally entered the room that they both knew only too well, they sighed, closing the door softly behind them.

"Well, now you've met my whole family." Penelope said, giving him a small smile.

Johnny smiled back. "It's no worse than mine." He thought about his own family, then realised something. "Correction, your family cares about you more."

"Ha ha, very funny," she said sarcastically, pulling away from him. She kept a hold of his hand as she moved around the room, her light grip strangely comfortable in his, forcing him to follow until they were at the bookcase she had first appeared from. "Would you like to see it?" she asked, turning back to face him, her free hand already resting on one of the shelves.

"Your room?" he looked at the mirror where they had conversed during the times he had visited, and occasionally played chess. Before he could say another word, he felt a slight breeze push against his face, meaning the door had been opened.

As he stepped into Penelope's 'home' he couldn't help but gasp.

It was as if someone had made the perfect playground, with books and toys… and even a swing that hung from the rafters. It was slightly messy, but it looked like there had been some effort in trying to keep the place tidy, with most items stacked away in shelves or piled against the walls and in the corners. There was one thing that caught his eye though.

Sat in middle of several piles of books was a small piano, something a young child would play, but from the way it had been left in plain sight showed that it was something that the young woman still used, or at least treasured.

"What?"

Johnny looked back down at her momentarily before looking back at it. "How old is that exactly?" he asked, pointing towards it.

Her gaze followed his finger. "That? I've had it since I was five. My mother was insistent that I learned. Why?"

He remembered what his own mother had been like, pushing him to play any time he wasn't doing his homework, until he came to a point where he didn't have to pushed anymore; where he actually enjoyed it, when he could _feel_ it, flowing from his heart and through his fingertips. It was like magic. "You still play it sometimes."

He could feel her eyes on him. She was probably shocked that he could know that, but it was so obvious. "Well… you left it in plain sight, and it's clean. If you didn't play it, it would have been put away. Would probably be dusty too…" he added as an afterthought.

She tilted her head to the side. "And what do you care? It's not like you play it."

He sucked on his teeth guiltily, "Well…"

"You liar!" she hit him lightly on the arm, "I guessed piano!" her eyes hardened. "You did that on purpose."

"Well how else was I going to get you to emerge from your cave?" he asked smirking at her. She really did look beautiful when she was angry.

She twisted her mouth, trying to determine whether she should forgive him or not, but he was looking at her with the best puppy dog eyes he could, and she gave up even trying to be angry with him.

When Penelope smiled at him, Johnny felt as if the world would fall away. He knew that if he lost everything he ever owned; his home, his money… even his music, he wouldn't even care. Taking her in his arms, he realised the one thing he had been secretly hoping for.

He loved her, and nothing else in the world mattered to him anymore.

**AN - Okay, this has to be the first romance scene I've ever written! And it's not even a proper one! Gah! This chapter was so hard to write, but I tink it turned out okay in the end...**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter, and I hope to update soon!**


	3. Cotton Candy

"I'm going to take you somewhere."

Penelope blinked. "But… I'm not allowed out of the house. I'll be seen! You don't know what people would…"

Johnny put a finger over her lips and smiled. "Don't worry, I have an idea." he said, pulling his coat on and picking something up from one of the coat hooks.

Her eyes widened as she watched him, realising what he was doing.

He wound the polka-dot scarf around her nose and mouth before letting it hang around her neck. "There. Nothing to worry about."

She giggled, her eyes lighting up as the promise of adventure. "We'll have to go out the back. That way mother and father won't see us."

Johnny helped her pull her coat on and he pulled on his own before sneaking through the house towards the kitchen where the doorway to freedom sat, waiting to be opened.

They reached it without any problem at all, but as they were about to open it, someone behind them coughed.

They froze.

As they turned, they found Jake stood next to the table, looking extremely disappointed.

"Oh Jake, I'm sorry. I…" Penelope started, but he held up a hand. She stopped immediately.

Johnny felt crestfallen.

Not only had his attempt at getting her out failed, but he was probably never going to be able to see her again; the one thing he was sure about in his entire life and he screwed it up. Nice going dumb ass!

"It's cold outside, miss Penelope," the butler said informatively, before holding up his other hand, in which was a set of woollen gloves, "You don't want to get cold fingers do you."

Wait. What?

"Oh thank you Jake!" the young woman exclaimed, jumping onto him in a burst of glee before pulling away, taking the gloves he offered her. "Come on Max!"

She took his hand and dragged him out the back door, not giving him a chance to show his gratitude.

* * *

><p>There was a fair in the park that month, and Johnny knew Penelope would love it.<p>

He took her hand in his. "I want to show you something." He smiled at her scarf-covered face and slowly began to lead her towards the lights that were shining through the trees.

"Max? What is it?"

He cringed.

It was all a lie. Everything he told her was a lie.

"You'll see."

When was he going to tell her? How was he going to? How would she react? Would she hate him? Would she ever talk to him again?

Penelope gasped.

"It's… It's so beautiful."

Holding her from behind, Johnny looked over her head at the bright lights of the merry-go-round, the stalls and the music that played. It felt good to make her happy.

"Would you like some cotton candy?" he asked, nodding towards the man holding some sticks and some bags of pink fluff.

Penelope looked up at him. "But… my nose…"

"We don't have to eat it here. Maybe…" he looked around, "over there?"

The young woman followed his finger.

It was a secluded area. There was a bench and a light that had broken, so it was in complete darkness, next to the lake.

She nodded. "But only if we share. I don't know if I like it or not."

Johnny's eyebrows rose. "No?"

She shook her head. "I've never tried it before."

What was wrong with her parents? Never tried cotton candy before… "Well, alright then."

They walked hand in hand over to the man behind the machine.

"One please." He said, smiling.

The man pulled a stick out of a box and started to collect the cotton sugar onto it as Penelope watched in fascination, her eyes growing wide as the ball grew larger and larger.

Handing over some coins, he thanked the man with a smile and took her hand in his as she stared at the treat she held. She was so sweet. The way she was looking at everything, just as a small child would, made her look so innocent, so pure.

Once they'd made their way over to the bench, Johnny pulled the scarf down from around her mouth, allowing her to take a bite of the treat.

He could barely hold back a snigger when she drew away.

"What?" she asked, looking at him incredulously, "What?"

"You've um…" he touched his chin with his finger, "You've got a little something-"

"Here?" she asked, sticking her tongue out and reaching around her mouth, making him laugh even more, "Did I get it?"

He tried to look serious as he examined her, but it didn't work, "Yes, I think that's all of it."

She smiled.

It was the smile that lit up the room the first time he'd seen her. It was perfect, just like everything else about her.

"This is really good!" she exclaimed, "I can feel it melting in my mouth!"

"Yes, that's what cotton candy does," he explained, "and sticks to your face when you eat it, apparently."

She hit him lightly on the arm and giggled before returning to her food.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, staring out at the water's surface as the lights of the city reflected on its surface.

It was beautiful.

As a nearby clock struck the hour, Penelope turned to him, holding the cotton candy towards him.

"I've been eating it all!" she exclaimed in embarrassment as she pulled her scarf up above her nose again, "Would you like the rest?"

Johnny shook his head, "No. You look like you're enjoying yourself."

She giggled, making his heart flutter, and continued devouring the sugary treat.

Once she'd finished, she discarded the stick into the bin beside the bench and looked at her watch.

"We should probably get going soon. We don't want my parents to worry, do we?"

He grinned at her, taking her hand in his, "Of course not."

Pulling the scarf over her nose once again, both Penelope and 'Max' started their walk back to her home.

**AN - I know, I know! It's been forever since I last updated this story. I feel horrible. Please forgive me! I didn't mean to neglect this so badly!**

**I know this isn't a _very_ long chapter, but I've had trouble with my stories recently, so I hope it's alright.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully you won't have to wait months before the next chapter's up, but no promises!**


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